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Get Retrospective. ColecoVision is Back.

ColecoVision is a classic retro games console from the early 1980s. And we're trying to bring it back!
We're planning on creating an app - as a starter on iOS, but if we get the backing also on Android, Mac, PC and Vita. Way more than just 'an emulator' we want to create something that showcases the ColecoVision, including:

We hear you internet! Lots of you have been asking for a breakdown of where the money is going - so here we go!:

- Licensing costs

Yes, there are free emulators out there which work to varying degrees, and that is GREAT! But we are delivering a fully branded (It's a proper 'ColecoVision'!), fully licensed set of original games. That means it is 100% legal, totally official, no grey areas. This is the ONLY way you are going to see a collection like this for sale.

- Rewards costs and other fees (Kickstarter/Amazon).

Unlike some Kickstarter campaigns where the 'physical' rewards kick in at $100+, we start ours at just $45 for a custom T-shirt or poster. We feel strongly that we want our backers to get a LOT for their money. We deliberately pitched our 'core' reward at a super-low $10 so that as many retro fans as possible could get something without breaking the bank. Of course, by pitching physical rewards at a lower price, that means our margin on those pledges is reduced - and the amount that goes into the actual delivery is lower too.

- The remainder

In total (it's impossible to be precise because we get different margins on different rewards) we are going to be left with around $130-140k after the licensing, rewards and fees. This money is all going to go on actually executing the project. This means paying for:

Graphics Designer

User Interface & User Experience Specialist

3D Modeller

Developers

Remember we are absolutely not just building "an emulator" here. It's going to take about 5 months to complete the project, and we're creating a beautiful, unique, graphical, intuitive user-interface including competitive scoring, challenges, achievements, box art, instructions and history of ColecoVision.

Press CoverageWe've received some great press coverage so far from some of the biggest gaming and tech websites around!

"Rantmedia Games has a knack for rekindling childhood gaming memories -- see its uncannily accurate Vectrex Regeneration as proof." - Engadget

We've got some great ideas and would love to find out what you think. It's going to be slick, polished and beautiful. You can check out the concept art below too, and see where we're heading with it.

We really like the idea of re-creating a living or family room with a ColecoVision console right in the center. We want people to be reminded of the original system, to see what it looked like. We're thinking atmospheric lighting - the glow of the TV, lighting the room and then to the left, we're imagining your stack of games.

Swipe or tap, and the games all fly up and assemble in a line so you can swipe left and right through your library - accessing box-art, instructions and the ROM cartridge. Choosing to play a game will drop the cartridge into the console, and then zoom you into the TV and you'll be playing full screen.

To the right, we're thinking it would be cool to have a trophy cabinet. Only, instead of it containing football or athletics trophies, this one will slowly fill up as you get scores and achievements in the games. You'll be able to send challenges to friends, and see how you shape up on global leader boards.

Ultimately, it's all about the details, the little touches, the polish and the delivery of the most authentic experience possible.

Update 10th October: Some fresh new renders!

We've got the rights to a huge list of games that we're going to include in the initial release including:

We're hoping that more can be added later on and we're also hoping to support homebrew games. That's a lot of games!

Initially we're planning to launch on iOS, but we're also very keen to get this onto other platforms too. So it really depends on your enthusiasm - hopefully you can help us make this happen.

We know that everyone has their favorite platform, and we have ambitions to also launch onto Android, Mac, PC and even hardware like PS Vita. But we wanted to start simple, and then get feedback on what you'd like us to support.

Something for everyone hopefully! Depending on the amount you pledge you will get a selection of amazing rewards that include:

We're a small team, but we're experienced and we know what we're doing. We're the guys who bought you 'Vectrex Regeneration' - launched onto the App Store at the end of last year - bringing back the classic Vectrex experience to a whole new audience.

It's pretty much like this: we love those classic games of the 80's and early 90's which are SO addictive and yet so simple. I guess that means you could call us 'retro enthusiasts'!

Risks and challenges

We wouldn't be pitching this if we weren't supremely confident we could deliver big time on our vision. We believe we've covered just about everything to nail this, from the design, development and delivery of the game to the logistics (and costs) of shipping the T-Shirts! We've got the rights and licenses already in place, and we've got track record of delivering this kind of thing successfully.

That of course doesn't mean it's going to be plain sailing - any game that is meaningful has the tendency to cause you pain when you least expect it, but we're confident we can deal with just about anything that comes our way. Except 8-bit killer ninja shark-bats. But then that's the same for everyone, and they are pretty rare…

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $70 or more
About $70

COPPER level PREMIUM BACKER: Copper-level IN-GAME credit, PLUS get TWO copies of the APP (give one to a friend!), THE BOOKLET, WALLPAPERS, WEB CREDIT and NEWSLETTER. (Web & In-Game credit is for ONE person - not both people receiving the app)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

BRONZE level PREMIUM BACKER: Bronze-level IN-GAME credit, INVITE to the launch party in Chicago, one T-SHIRT - *AND* one POSTER of your choice, PLUS get THE BOOKLET, WALLPAPERS, THE APP, WEB CREDIT and NEWSLETTER. (not including travel or accommodation costs)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

SILVER level PREMIUM BACKER: Silver-level IN-GAME credit, INVITE to the launch party in Chicago, BOTH T-SHIRTS, BOTH POSTERS, THE BOOKLET, WALLPAPERS, THE APP, WEB CREDIT and NEWSLETTER. (not including travel or accommodation costs)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $350 or more
About $350

GOLD level PREMIUM BACKER: Gold-level IN-GAME credit, INVITE to the launch party in Chicago, BOTH POSTERS (AUTOGRAPHED by the team!), BOTH T-SHIRTS, THE BOOKLET, WALLPAPERS, THE APP, WEB CREDIT and NEWSLETTER. (not including travel or accommodation costs)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $750 or more
About $750

PLATINUM level PREMIUM BACKER: ***BETA access***, Platinum-level IN-GAME credit, INVITE to the launch party in Chicago, BOTH POSTERS (AUTOGRAPHED by the team!), BOTH T-SHIRTS, THE BOOKLET, WALLPAPERS, THE APP, WEB CREDIT and NEWSLETTER. (not including travel or accommodation costs)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

THE 'COLECO': All PLATINUM rewards, PLUS: exclusive One-Off COLECO HOODIE, VIP Invite to LAUNCH PARTY in Chicago and an invite to RANTMEDIA GAMES in the UK to meet the team, have dinner and play crazy amounts of retro games (including the resident ColecoVision!) (not including any travel or accomodation costs)